Underground Catholic bishop arrested again in China

Madrid, Spain, Nov 11, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The Cardinal Kung Foundation is reporting that government agents in China have arrested an underground bishop of the Catholic Church for the eighth time in the city of Zhengding in northern China.

The detention of Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, 70, by Chinese security forces was denounced by the Cardinal Kung Foundation, which defends the rights of the underground Catholic Church that is faithful to the Pope and the Vatican. The Foundation reported that Bishop Jia was taken away for a “study session.”According to the statement, police officers also detained two other priests of the same diocese on November 7. Fathers Li Suchuan and Yang Ermeng were taken to the Security Bureau of Jinzhou City and have not been heard from since.Bishop Jia has been arrested eight times and has spent approximately 20 years in jail and has been under strict surveillance for many years for refusing to join the Catholic Patriotic Association operated by the Chinese Communist Party. The “official” Chinese church rejects the authority of the Vatican over the appointment of bishops.

The Patriotic Association boasts of four million members. The Cardinal Kung Foundation, on the other hand, maintains that the underground Church loyal to the Vatican consists of nearly 12 million.